Director: Kenneth Branagh
Starring: Chris Pine, Kevin Costner, Keira Knightley, Kenneth Branagh
Certificate: 12A
Running Time: 105 minutes
Special Features: Extended and deleted scenes – including the alternate ending, audio commentary with Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Kenneth Branagh, behind the scenes documentary ‘Jack Ryan: The Smartest Guy in the Room’ including interviews with cast and crew.
Jack Ryan has had many adventures over the years, thanks to the author who created him, Tom Clancy, and Ryan’s numerous film outings. In JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT, however, his adventure is just beginning. In this origins story, Jack Ryan is introduced as the bright young student who enlists after the attacks of 9/11. When a helicopter crash ends his service, the CIA tell him there is another way to serve his country – go back to school and keep an eye on the financial markets.
Chris Pine does a great job as the young idealistic Ryan, clearly out of his comfort zone but with a quiet determination that sees him continuing on even when every instinct seems to tell him otherwise. Though at first it is a shock to hear Knightley speaking with an American accent, she manages to pull it off and becomes the great partner to Pine’s Ryan, with a fierce determination all of her own. The highlight, though, has to be Kevin Costner who is on top form as the man who recruits the young Pine. He is entirely deadpan in his delivery and is superb to watch. Though his performance is generally menacing, the only really odd section is when Kenneth Branagh starts going full-on Russian and becomes a more comedic villain. Elsewhere, his direction is so on point that it’s hard to hold this bizarre piece of casting against him for too long.
Overall, it is the mix of action and character that makes this film such an enjoyable watch. There is a plot, though not a particularly complex one. There is a backstory, though it is not dragged out for far too long. There is action and suspense, a great car chase and plenty of drama.
JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT may not be the biggest action film of recent years but it’s lots of fun and, with a great cast and a quick-paced plot full of action and heart, it’s an enjoyable film on both the big and small screen.
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